Study
| EST. READ TIME 2 MIN.Fraser Forum - November 2008: Water Rights in Quebec
In this issue:
Up Front: Ezra Levant speaks freely
The former Western Standard publisher discusses his battle with the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal which ended 900 days after it began.
Why are Quebec’s students failing?
by Peter Cowley
The exam failure rates in Quebec’s public schools—which account for roughly 82% of the province’s secondary school enrollment—are more than double those of private schools in all subjects except basic mathematics.
Quebec’s agriculture in jeopardy
by Jean-Francois Minardi
To ensure the viability of Quebec’s agricultural sector, the province should phase out its supply management regime and eliminate farm subsidies.
Self-interest benefits everyone
by Niels Veldhuis
Self-interested individuals and businesses are the backbone of our economy, vital to economic progress and the well-being of society.
Measuring entrepreneurship
by Keith Godin and Niels Veldhuis
The Canadian provinces trail the US states on six different measures of entrepreneurship.
Canada’s physician supply
by Nadeem Esmail
The current supply is insufficient to meet the demand for physician care and falls well short of what is being delivered in other developed nations with similar approaches to health care.
Missile defense goes global
by Alan W. Dowd
Canada should partner with the United States and other Western countries on the international missile defense system.
Cars and climate change
by Diane Katz
The government of Quebec is preparing to impose the nation’s most stringent regulations on auto emissions. But these regulations are more likely to endanger lives than change the climate.
Competition in health care
by Maureen Hazel
The recently reformed Dutch system provides an example of a better approach to universal health care coverage.
Water rights under threat in Quebec
by Diane Katz and Jean-Francois Minardi
Bill 92, if enacted, will rob Quebecers of their property rights and discourage investment in the province.
Economic freedom reduces poverty
by Amela Karabegović and Fred McMahon
Nations with high rates of economic growth and higher levels of economic freedom experience poverty reduction.
Economic freedom in the Francophonie nations
by Louis-Philippe Beland
Francophonie nations, more than 80% of which are developing countries, have some of the lowest levels of economic freedom in the world.
In Closing: “Tough love” for the downtown eastside
Former Vancouver police chief Jamie Graham, known for his “no-nonsense” approach to the law, speaks to Fraser Forum about Insite, homelessness, and reforming Canada’s criminal code.
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Niels Veldhuis
President, Fraser Institute
Niels Veldhuis serves as President of the Fraser Institute, Canada’s most influential think tank.In his over 20-plus-year career in publicpolicy, Niels has authored six books and more than 50 peer-reviewed studies on a wide range of economic topics. In 2011, he was awarded (along with his co-authors) the prestigious Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for the best-selling book, The Canadian Century.Highly regarded for his opinions and perspectives on major economic and social issues, Niels appears regularly in the media across Canada and the United States. He has written hundreds of commentaries that have appeared in over 50 newspapers, including the Globe and Mail, Wall Street Journal, National Post, and The Economist.Known for his ability to explain matters of economics and government policy in a down-to-earth and easily understood manner, Niels travels widely across North America. His speaking engagements extend to diverse audiences, including business groups, corporate gatherings, community organizations, and students.Niels has had the privilege of sharing the stage and moderating discussions with prominent business and political leaders from around the world. Notable individuals include Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and BC Premier Gordon Campbell. He has also moderated discussions with distinguished Canadian journalists such as Chantal Herbert, Andrew Coyne, and Rex Murphy, as well as diplomats such as Canada’s Ambassador to China and Israel’s Ambassador to Canada. Niels moderated a discussion between United States Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in 2011 and has facilitated conversations with impactful authors like Mosab Hassan Yousef (author of "Son of Hamas") and Lord Conrad Black.Niels Veldhuis is an alumnus of Simon Fraser University, was one of Vancouver’s Top 40 under 40 by Business in Vancouver in 2010, and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).… Read more -
Fred McMahon
Resident Fellow, Dr. Michael A. Walker Chair in Economic FreedomFred McMahon is a Fraser Institute Resident Fellow and holder of the Dr. Michael A. Walker Chair in Economic Freedom.He has an M.A. in Economics from McGill University. Mr. McMahon manages the Economic Freedom of the World Project and coordinates the Economic Freedom Network, an international alliance of over 100 think tank partners in about 100 nations and territories. His research focuses on global issues such as development, trade, governance and economic structure. Mr. McMahon is the author of numerous research articles and several books including, Looking the Gift Horse in the Mouth: The Impact of Federal Transfers on Atlantic Canada, which won the Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for advancing public policy debate, Road to Growth: How Lagging Economies Become Prosperous, and Retreat from Growth: Atlantic Canada and the Negative Sum Economy.He has written for numerous publications including the European Journal of Political Economy, the SAIS Journal (School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University), the Wall Street Journal, Policy Options, National Post, Time (Canada), Globe and Mail, Ottawa Citizen, and most other major Canadian newspapers. Research articles he has recently authored or co-authored include: Economic Freedom of North America, Quebec Prosperity: Taking the Next Step, The Unseen Wall: The Fraser Institute's Annual Trade Survey, and Economic Freedom of the Arab World.… Read more -
Peter Cowley
Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
Peter Cowley is a Senior Fellow and former Director of School Performance Studies at the Fraser Institute. He has aB.Comm. from the University of British Columbia (1974). In 1994, Mr Cowley independently wrote and published The Parent's Guide, a popular handbook for parents of British Columbia's secondary-school students. The Parent's Guide web site replaced the handbook in 1995. In 1998, Mr Cowley was co-author of the Fraser Institute's A Secondary Schools Report Card for British Columbia, the first of the Institute's continuing series of annual reports on school performance. This was followed in by The 1999 Report Card on British Columbia's Secondary Schools, Boys, Girls, and Grades: Academic Gender Balance in British Columbia's Secondary Schools, and The 1999 Report Card on Alberta's High Schools. Since then, Mr Cowley has co-authored all of the Institute's annual Report Cards. Annual editions now include Report Cards on elementary and secondary schools in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario and on secondary schools in Quebec.… Read more -
Nadeem Esmail
Senior Fellow, Fraser InstituteNadeem Esmail is a Senior Fellow of the Fraser Institute. He first joined the Fraser Institute in 2001, served asDirector of Health System Performance Studies from 2006 to 2009, and has been a Senior Fellow since 2010. Mr. Esmail has spearheaded critical Fraser Institute research including the annual Waiting Your Turn survey of surgical wait times across Canada and How Good Is Canadian Health Care?, an international comparison of health care systems. In addition, Mr. Esmail has authored or co-authored more than 30 comprehensive studies and more than 150 articles on a wide range of topics including the cost of public health care insurance, international comparisons of health care systems, hospital performance, medical technology, and physician shortages. A frequent commentator on radio and TV, Mr. Esmail's articles have appeared in newspapers across North America. Mr. Esmail completed his B.A. (Honours) in Economics at the University of Calgary and received an M.A. in Economics from the University of British Columbia.… Read more -
Alan Dowd
Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
Alan W. Dowd is a Senior Fellow of the Fraser Institute, Senior Editor of Fraser Insight and Managing Director ofthe Institute's EFNA Network. In addition, Dowd conducts research into defence and security issues. He co-authored the Fraser Institute report Cybersecurity Challenges for Canada and the United States; has contributed to the Institute’s Economic Freedom of North America Annual Report (EFNA); helped launch the Institute’s EFNA Network in 2014; and continues to manage and coordinate the EFNA Network, which today enfolds more than 60 member-organizations in 47 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. An award-winning writer, Dowd is a frequent contributor to American Legion Magazine, Military Officer, The American, Landing Zone, and American Outlook. In addition, his writing has appeared in Fraser Forum, Claremont Review of Books, Policy Review, Parameters, Journal of Diplomacy & International Relations, Diplomat & International Canada, World Politics Review, World & I, National Post, Baltimore Sun, Washington Times, Washington Examiner, Sacramento Bee, Indianapolis Star, Detroit News, Vancouver Sun, Wall Street Journal Europe, Jerusalem Post, Financial Times Deutschland, and the online editions of the American Interest, National Review, and Weekly Standard. Dowd has served as an adjunct professor at Butler University and Anderson University; was a founding member of the Sagamore Institute leadership team, where he continues to hold a senior fellow post; and was director of Hudson Institute’s corporate headquarters. He earned a B.A. with departmental high honors from Butler University and an M.A. from Indiana University.… Read more -
Amela Karabegovic
Amela Karabegovi is a former Senior Economist of the Fraser Institute. She holds a B.M. (Great Distinction) in General Managementfrom the University of Lethbridge in Alberta and an M.A. in Economics from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. She was a coauthor of the Economic Freedom of North America , Economic Freedom of the Arab World , Myths and Realities of TILMA , Transparency of Labour Relations Boards in Canada and the United States , Measuring Labour Markets in Canada and the United States , Measuring the Flexibility of Labour Relations Laws in Canada and the United States , Tax and Expenditure Limitations: The Next Step in Fiscal Discipline , and the Prosperity Series-Ontario .… Read more -
Keith Godin
Keith Godin is a former Fraser Institute Senior Policy Analyst who published many studies on a range of policy issuesincluding entrepreneurship, labour regulation, labour market performance, taxation, and investment. His publications include: Crowding Out Private Equity: Canadian Evidence (2007), The Economic Costs of Capital Gains Taxes (2007), Measuring Labour Markets in Canada and the United States (2007), and Canadian Provincial Investment Climate Report: 2007 Edition (2007). He has also written shorter studies on fiscal policy and government failure as well as commentaries in newspapers across the country. Mr. Godin holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Simon Fraser University. His thesis focused on entrepreneurship and venture capital.… Read more -
Jean-François Minardi
Jean-François Minardi is the former Associate Director of the Economic Freedom and Development Centre and Associate Director of the GlobalNatural Resource Policy Centre for the Fraser Institute. Jean-François Minardi holds a Masters Degree in Economics and International Projects Management from the Université Paris XII. He has completed his PhD coursework focusing on International Relations at the Université de Montréal, where he also holds a Masters Degree in Political Science. Jean-François joined the Institute in 2008 as a Senior Policy Analyst for Quebec and La Francophonie before he moved to the Center for Globalization Studies in 2009 he managed the Economic Freedom of the World Network. He is the co-author of The Government's Grab Groundwater: An Attack on Property Rights in Quebec and the author of What does the future hold for Quebec agriculture and The Management of Water Services in Montreal. He wrote articles for Fraser Forum and Perspectives and published op-eds for newspapers in Quebec including La Presse, Le Journal de Montréal, Le Soleil, The Gazette and Le Devoir.… Read more -
Diane Katz
Diane S. Katz is a Research Fellow in Regulatory Policy with the Heritage Foundation and the former Director of Risk,Environment and Energy Policy for the Fraser Institute. She has more than two decades of experience in research and writing about public policy, including six years as Director of Science, Environment and Technology for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and nine years as a member of The Detroit News editorial board specializing in science and the environment, telecommunications and technology, and the auto industry. Ms. Katz has been awarded several fellowships, including the Jack R. Howard Science Reporting Institute at the California Institute of Technology; the Paul Miller Washington Reporting Program; the Kinship Conservation Institute; and the Political Economy Research Center. She has testified before Congress as well as a number of state legislatures, and was appointed to represent the State Policy Network, a coalition of more than 50 think tanks across the United States, on the American Legislative Exchange Council. She has been published by the Wall Street Journal; The Washington Times; National Review; The Weekly Standard; Reason Magazine and dozens of regional and local newspapers. Ms. Katz graduated with a B.Ph. from Thomas Jefferson College and an M.A. from the University of Michigan.… Read more -
Louis-Philippe Béland
Louis-Philippe Béland was a Policy Analyst in the Centre for Globalization Studies at the Fraser Institute during 2008 and 2009.He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in applied economics from HEC Montréal and an M.A. in economics from the University of British Columbia (UBC). He is the lead author of La liberté économique dans la Francophonie (2008).… Read more -
Maureen Hazel
Maureen Hazel is a former Health Policy Analyst at the Fraser Institute. She completed her B.Com. (First Class Honours) andMA in Economics at McGill University. Her research focused on health economics and public policy.… Read more